Birds have some of the longest lifespans in the animal kingdom. While the average lifespan for a bird is just a few years, some species can live for decades. The record holder for the longest living bird is the albatross, which has an average lifespan of 50 years. However, there are a few other bird species that can give the albatross a run for its money when it comes to longevity.
What is considered a long-lived bird?
Most small bird species, like finches, hummingbirds and songbirds have relatively short lives of just 1-5 years on average. Medium-sized birds may live 5-15 years. But larger bird species, like hawks, eagles, vultures, owls, swans and geese can have impressively long lifespans of 20-30 years. Any bird living over 30 years is considered exceptionally long-lived. The oldest known wild bird was a Laysan albatross named Wisdom who was at least 68 years old when last studied in 2016. In captivity, some parrot species have been known to live over 80 years.
Birds with long lifespans share a few key traits. They tend to be larger in size, which reduces predation risk and allows them to better survive lean times when food is scarce. Many long-lived birds take several years to reach sexual maturity and have long parental care periods raising just a few offspring. They may not breed every year, investing energy selectively into reproduction. Longer living birds also tend to have few natural predators as adults, allowing them to live to old age as long as they can find sufficient food.
What factors influence avian lifespan?
There are several key factors that allow some avian species to live exceptionally long lives:
- Body size – Larger birds live longer than smaller birds on average, across all species.
- Metabolism – Slower metabolic rates may correlate to longer lifespans.
- Predation – Birds with lower predation pressures as adults tend to have greater longevity.
- Diet – Some dietary strategies, like scavenging, may lend themselves to long lifespans.
- Reproduction – Long-lived birds tend to have lower reproduction rates and invest heavily in raising a few offspring.
- Habitat – Birds in safer, less stressful environments with abundant resources may live longer.
- Evolution – Species that evolved with high adult survival rates tend to have greater longevity.
- Telomeres – Longer telomeres, which protect DNA, may enable longer lifespans in some birds.
By studying the traits and behaviors of long-lived bird species, ornithologists can better understand the evolutionary pressures and environmental conditions that enable avian longevity.
What are the longest living bird species?
Here are some of the birds with the highest verified maximum lifespans:
Albatross
Average Lifespan: 12-40 years
Maximum Lifespan: 50-60 years
Albatross are large seabirds found primarily in the southern hemisphere. They spend most of their lives soaring over the open ocean, feeding on squid, fish and krill. Having few natural predators as adults and nesting on isolated islands accounts for their longevity. Wisdom the albatross is the oldest known wild bird at 68 years old.
Macaws
Average Lifespan: 20-40 years
Maximum Lifespan: 60-80 years
These large, colorful parrots are some of the longest living parrot species. In captivity they are known to live up to 60-80 years with proper care. Blue and yellow macaws and scarlet macaws tend to have the greatest longevity.
Cockatoos
Average Lifespan: 20-60 years
Maximum Lifespan: 80+ years
Cockatoos are another long living parrot group including cockatiels, corellas and black cockatoos. The oldest known cockatoo was Major Mitchell’s cockatoo that lived to 83 years old in captivity.
Parakeets
Average Lifespan: 10-18 years
Maximum Lifespan: 30 years
Small parrot species like budgerigars, ringnecks and conures may not seem exceptionally long lived compared to larger parrots, but they regularly live into their 20s and 30s in captivity. One ringneck parakeet reportedly lived to 32 years old.
African Grey Parrot
Average Lifespan: 20-50 years
Maximum Lifespan: 50+ years
Considered one of the most intelligent bird species, African grey parrots also enjoy great longevity. A African grey parrot named Cookie was studied for 30 years and lived to at least age of 53.
Bald Eagle
Average Lifespan: 15-20 years
Maximum Lifespan: 50 years
As the emblem of the United States, the bald eagle is truly a long-lived bird. In the wild these large raptors live 20-30 years on average. The oldest known wild bald eagle was at least 38 years old. In captivity they may live up to 50 years.
Golden Eagle
Average Lifespan: 10-15 years
Maximum Lifespan: 50 years
Another large raptor, the golden eagle also shares the 50 year maximum lifespan record. However, wild eagles likely only live 15-25 years with high mortality for young eagles.
Brown Pelican
Average Lifespan: 10-20 years
Maximum Lifespan: 43 years
As coastal seabirds, brown pelicans have relatively high adult survival with few natural predators. The oldest known wild brown pelican was 43 years old based on banding records.
Mute Swan
Average Lifespan: 10-15 years
Maximum Lifespan: 30+ years
Mute swans are one of the longest living swan species, capable of living 20-30 years in the wild. The oldest recorded a mute swan was at least 31 years old and still breeding.
Emperor Penguin
Average Lifespan: 15-20 years
Maximum Lifespan: 40 years
As the largest penguin species, emperors can survive over 30 years in the harsh Antarctica climate. The longevity record for a wild emperor penguin was at least 40 years old based on banding records.
Laysan Albatross
Average Lifespan: 12-40 years
Maximum Lifespan: 60+ years
Along with the black-footed albatross, Laysan albatross are among the longest living albatross species, with exceptional cases of birds living 60-70 years. Wisdom the Laysan albatross is the oldest known wild bird to date.
Andean Condor
Average Lifespan: 25-50 years
Maximum Lifespan: 50-70 years
As the largest flying bird, the Andean condor is considered to have one of the longest natural lifespans for birds. Captive condors are known to live up to 60-70 years.
Bird Species with the Longest Verified Lifespans
Here are the top 10 birds with the longest documented lifespans according to records kept by zoos, researchers and bird banding studies:
Common Name | Scientific Name | Maximum Documented Lifespan |
---|---|---|
Andean Condor | Vultur gryphus | 70 years |
Macaw | Ara sp. | 80 years |
Cockatoo | Cacatuidae | 83 years |
Mute Swan | Cygnus olor | 31 years |
Bald Eagle | Haliaeetus leucocephalus | 50 years |
Emperor Penguin | Aptenodytes forsteri | 40 years |
African Grey Parrot | Psittacus erithacus | 53 years |
Golden Eagle | Aquila chrysaetos | 50 years |
Laysan Albatross | Phoebastria immutabilis | 68 years |
Brown Pelican | Pelecanus occidentalis | 43 years |
Comparing Lifespans Across Bird Groups
Looking at avian lifespans by taxonomic group also shows interesting longevity patterns:
Bird Group | Average Lifespan | Max Lifespan |
---|---|---|
Hummingbirds | 3-5 years | 12 years |
Small songbirds | 2-6 years | 10-30 years |
Parrots | 10-60 years | 80+ years |
Eagles | 15-30 years | 50 years |
Albatross | 12-40 years | 60+ years |
Swans | 10-30 years | 30+ years |
Ravens | 10-15 years | 40 years |
Pelicans | 10-20 years | 43 years |
Penguins | 10-20 years | 40 years |
Condors | 25-50 years | 70 years |
Parrots and albatross species stand out as exceptionally long-lived compared to most bird groups. Large raptor species like eagles and condors also live longer than smaller birds on average.
Key Takeaways on Avian Longevity
- The longest living bird species include certain albatross, macaws, cockatoos and parakeets that can live 60-80 years or more in captivity.
- The oldest known wild bird was a Laysan albatross named Wisdom that was at least 68 years old.
- Larger body size, lower metabolism, reduced predation risk, scavenging diet and lower reproduction rates correlate to longer lifespans in birds.
- The longest living bird groups include parrots, albatross, condors, eagles, swans, pelicans and penguins.
- Captive birds typically live much longer than wild birds due to lack of predators, diseases, accidents and supplemental food.
- Studying long-lived bird species provides insight into longevity traits and the mechanisms that enable extreme lifespans.
Conclusion
Birds display an impressively wide range of natural lifespans across species. While small songbirds live just a few years, larger birds like albatross, condors, eagles, swans and parrots can live for many decades. Key longevity factors include large body size, reduced metabolic rates, lower predation as adults and evolutionary traits that favor adult survival over reproduction. By studying the longest living bird groups, ornithologists gain insight into the environmental pressures and genetic traits that enable birds to live exceptionally long lives. While lifespans in captivity are longer, even wild birds like Wisdom the Laysan albatross can live nearly seven decades and still successfully raise chicks. When it comes to avian longevity, albatross and parrots win the lifespan race, but eagles, pelicans, penguins and condors also stand out for their impressively long lives.